Up on the Downs

There will be a half marathon, 10k and 5k on offer for this event.

All race distances follow a similar type of terrain. Undulating downland is the key feature, following ancient tracks, or droves as they are known due to their historic role as routes to market for cattle and sheep.

For those unfamiliar with the area, it is a trail running heaven. The venue is very accessible, just 15 minutes south of Salisbury, but is also very rural. Runners may past through one of the many beautiful villages, but often mile upon mile of wide-open countryside stretches out before you, with unspoilt vistas for rolling fields and woodland.

Your run will take you through a landscape full of history. The race name comes from Cranborne Chase, King Johns favourite hunting ground, but earlier on It was influenced by the Romans, who built a large villa in the village of Rockbourne. Pre-dating this you see countless Bronze age burial mounds, and for a couple of miles runners in the marathon and half follow Bockerley Dike, an Iron age boundary earthwork. The whole area has been rich in Neolithic archaeology, and a huge earth mound on Marin Down gives a clue to the site of a WW2 rifle range.